Tips and Tricks

I am not sure where to begin with today's topic "Tips and Tricks".  I am a bit OCD on certain things with my personal life as well as my classroom. 

Tips
#1  Be organized:  you never know when someone important will come to visit your room and ask you so share data or other things to prove what you are doing in your class.  So if you are organized and know where things are it will impress them and you won't feel embarrassed either.  I have folders for everything from my student data, portfolios, committees I run or am on.  I also organize my lesson plans into a folder on my computer as well as have a printed copy.  Materials are organized in my room as well.

This is where I keep all my folders.  The bottom two shelves are my folders with all my themes.  I write on the outside what theme it is.  Inside you will find all you need for that theme including ideas, print outs, art work etc.  The top shelf has all my individual committees, data folder, contact logs, PLCs, PBIS folders.  The shelf below that are all my resource books.  I also place my emergency bag in this location for easy access.

#2  Communication

Communication is key.  Creating a relationship with your parents will help you be able to talk with them about the hard things that come up.  Getting to know them and their child the best you can.  There were times I didn't want to talk to a parent cause I was scared how they would react about me talking to them about their child's behavior.  But over the years I have learned I have to be able to communicate with them so that the child has success plus they are the child's first teacher and they may know something that can help me out as well as me being able to tell them what they can do at home.

Tricks

#1  Teaching Pre-K students how to use glue.

I introduce glue to my students in small doses.  I place glue on a paper plate and then have the students use Q-Tips to dip into the glue from the plate to place onto their item they are gluing.  Talking to them about using small dots.

#2 Velcro

Velcro is your friend.

I placed Velcro on the backs of the ladybugs, flowers, and bees.  This allows me to move these items with ease.  The flowers are their jobs and I move those to the right on Fridays so they are ready for their new jobs on Mondays.  The bees are where I write my agenda, so I take those down to be able to write on them easier.  The ladybugs are their names where they will place their backpacks.

There are many tips and tricks out there but find things that work for you or take it then make it work for you.

2013 Classroom Reveal !!!!

Drum roll please......I finally finished my classroom for 2013-2014 school year.  I have been working in my room for the last 3 weeks but I had other things I had to get done in my school, so my room would get put last each day.   I am excited about this school year.  I get to work with a new teacher to Pre-K, we are going through many new changes at my school as well.

So let the tour begin!!!!

 I got both of these new behavior systems from Pinterest.  The Voice Level will help my students see and learn which level is appropriate.  Our school is also implementing it school wide.  The other chart will need me to add the student's clip.  We will all start off on green and either move up for positives or down for negatives. This is the mini version , I made another for in large group.

 This is my math and science area.  My word wall is in the back.  We will be adding words throughout the year on the word wall.  I will be adding their names to the table when I get my final list.

This is my large group area.  This is one of my favorite areas.  I love to read to them as well as use my Promethean Board.  This is the second year to have it in my room.  During center time I also use this area for my block area and the students get to also use the board.

 Here's my Promethean board.  I placed another behavior chart on it.  The green crates I made last year from Pinterest.  The students use them to sit on in the listening center or to stand on when using the board.

 The bulletin board I use for sight words and other items to be shared in at group. I store my personal books behind the curtains.  I also store my listening center books under the book chart

 This is my chair I read stories to them.

 This is my Smart table.  This is shared with the other Pre-K classroom at our school.  Last year was the first year of using this as well.  The students LOVE it.  I have many sorting games for them.  They can also trace letters, numbers, and watch short videos.  The blue board behind it will be part of my student data wall.  This is a new board I put up this year.  I also used clothes pins hot glued to it to place each students data sheet.  This will have to be added when the students come in.  I am using a Chika Chika Boom Boom tracking sheet.  The students will color in each letter they know.

 This is my desk.  Also behind my desk is my center rotation chart.  Our school uses this and it was a learning process to use this one.  ( it is different than what I was using)  Our principal looks for this in our classes when doing her walk troughs and making it on our TLE (teacher evaluation)

 Part of my book area.  I place books we are focusing on with our theme or books I have read (which they fight over those).  Students pick a book after eating breakfast while we wait for all to finish.  Also during center time students choose books or do retelling.

A wide shot of my desk, book area as well as my writing area.  And yes your eyes are seeing a loft.  That is the whole reason I wanted this room when I first came to my school.  This loft will also go with me to my brand new room (that will start being built this September)

 My book area seating and I use the side of my filing cabinet for the students to use magnets letters etc here.

 This is my writing area and is on the other side of the couch.  I have a variety of materials for them to use to explore words, writing, and much more.

 This is my computer area.  I have students work on starfall.com.  I place a green smilie sticker on the mouse to show them where to click and then a red one where they don't click.  I show them the basics on the site but they are really good at figuring out the program on their own.  They usually end up going to the same page and working together.

 This is my loft and I use this for my puppet/retelling area (up top) and my small lego table.  I have chairs for them to sit at and they know only two at a time.  During the first 2-3 weeks I don't open this up to them.

 This is the view from the loft looking at my dramatic play, math/science, and my sensory table.  I use the circle table from  my small group table.  So days I have a hard time doing small groups cause those years I had major behavior issues that had to be dealt with first.

 This is my hall to my bathroom.  I use this area for painting.  Also to store our snacks.  The chairs to the left are used for students to wait on the bathroom. 

 This will be my schedule.  Our school has changed things and this will be the first year that Pre-K will get to in the specials rotations (music , art, PE, and library).  In the past I had to led these activities.

 The beehive is where I place my agenda for the day as well as my learning objectives.  Once again this is being looked at by the principal and others coming into our rooms.  The flower pots are my jobs.  I have 20 jobs (one for each student)  and they have that job all week long.  On Monday I rotate the petals to the right to give them a new job for the coming week.  The ladybugs will have their names on them and this is where they will hang up their backpacks (their coats go on their chairs)  I teach my students when they come into the room to get their daily folder out(put it in my chair), get their blanket out (on Mondays), get their library bag out and then hang up their bags before sitting down to eat breakfast.  We eat breakfast in the classroom.

This is my sensory table.  The first week of school I place scrap paper in the table along with scissors for the students to practice their scissor skills before we actually use them on projects.

This is my dramatic play area.  I have made this area different things like a grocery store, a Chinese restaurant, and much more.

This will be my Chika Boom tree where I will place their names.  Each child will have their picture taken on the first day then placed on a sentence strip with it saying something like this " A is for Addie"


I am so excited to have given you a tour of my classroom.  I will be adding things to it and will keep you up to date on things happening in my room.  Please feel free to leave me comments or things I can do better.

Organizing for Instruction

Well it is day three of this week's linky party.  I am still working on my classroom so i will post pictures and give a tour of my room when I get it done.

So today's topic is organizing for instruction.  I am not sure what to say on this one.

How do I organize myself for instruction.

1.  I have 5 folders of different colors that I place needed materials, papers in for each day of the week.  I just have to grab that folder at the beginning of the day and they are usually in order of how I am going to use them.  I place the items in the folders on the Friday before.

2.  I make sure all my copies or materials are gathered on Friday the week before needed.

3.  My lesson plans have all objectives posted as well as I prepare my objectives to be placed on the wall for those who walk in and observe can see them.

4.  On Mondays, I explain to the students their centers.  I model to them the expectations for each center.  I remind the students of procedures as well as them state them to me.

5.  My instruction is based on student data that I have collected each month.  My lessons also show differentiated materials for those who need it.

Let's Talk about Me!!!!!

 I am so excited about the coming school year.  My school is going through many changes one of which is a new Pre-K teacher.  I am so excited about working with her this year.  Change is always good especially if it is for the good of the children.

I am excited as well to join this weeks linky partying from the ladies from Blog Hoppin  and from Primary Graffiti so check them out plus get to know other teachers and their blogs.

So let's talk about me then.
1.       I teach Pre-K in a Title One Urban school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I have been at this school for 7 years now and I am beginning my 13th year of teaching. (So excited just as my first day and year)

2.      I will be working with a new team member to Pre-K.  It is her first year teaching in Pre-K.  We both have no more than 20 students and we have two amazing TAs (teacher assistance)

3.      I am a single mother of two teenage boys ( 17 and 15) who will be starting their Senior and Freshman years in high school.  I will try to keep my crying to a minimal this year too lol

4.      I love gardening.  I got my love of gardening from my grandmother.  I have many memories of her roses and tomatoes when I would go visit her.  I would spend many an hour outside smelling the roses and playing in those gardens. My cute chair planter is below.

5.      I have always had a dream to have a garden or outside classroom at my school but never knew how I would get it funded.  So about 4 years ago my BFF found me two guys who had a grant to fund gardens.  So guess what, I got a garden but not just one I wanted one for each teacher at my school.  So they helped our students build over 25 raised garden beds.  Yes the students built each bed, moved the dirt to fill them, and then each year they plant.

6.      My sister and I participate every year in the Alzheimer's Memory walk in honor of our grandma and grandpa and great Aunt.  This will be our 7th year walking for them and to end this terrible disease.

7.       I love music.  I can play the piano and the viola.  I received a music scholarship to go to college. I love listening to all kinds of music.  My sons and I attend concerts when we can.  Just two days ago we went to the Rascal Flatts concert.

8.     I LOVE FOOTBALL!!!!!  My oldest son plays (#76) and this will be his senior year to play.  I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan too.  I love all kinds of football.

9.   My favorite color is purple.  I wear it a lot.  I am not a pink girl but I do have some pink but I love purple.

10.    I love to read.  Every summer I read as much as I can.  I also read throughout the school year but not as many as I read in the summer.  I am currently reading about a true story called IN COLD BLOOD

Made it Monday

Made is Mondays .....yes I know it is Tuesday but going to do this one anyway lol.  My best friend is trying to connect with others and I am too.  One of the main reasons I started to blog was to document what I was doing in my classroom for my own personal use.  (A good way to prove what I am doing for my TLE too)  I wanted to think about what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong as well.  But I have been checking out other blogs and learning so much from all the awesome teachers out in blog land, so I thought I need to get connected to these blogs as well as people connecting and following me.

So today I am participating in the 4th grade frolics.Made It Monday linky party Last night I was thinking I really want to make a new behavior system for my Pre-K babies.  So I already had this one pinned and I started making it last night (I just need to laminate and assembly)

I am hoping my students will love staying above the green this year. 

 I made these mini sensory bottles or calming bottles. I hot glued the lids to keep little fingers from opening them and making a big mess.

This summer I did a lot of making bread.  I got a bread machine from last Christmas and had not used it yet.  So I got to thinking I need to try it out.  Well let's just say I am addicted to making bread.  I started using the different recipes in the book that came with my machine and then I started getting on Pinterest to look for recipes and BINGO!!!! tons.  This is one of them I found and pinned.  But this bread wasn't for the machine.  So I made it and lots more different ones.  My friends and family were getting hungry every time I shared a new picture of what I fixed.  I was thinking of making breads and selling them for extra cash.  Hmmm you never know.  SO I hope I didnt make you craving some bread and hope you have a great day.

Saturday Snapshots

Run! Miss Nelson's got the camera Is hosting a linky party as well as a give away.

I love using the camera to capture my boys as well as my students.  I use the camera in my classroom to document student progress as well as pictures of them through out the school year that I put together in a slide show for the parents on our promotion day.  Photography you can say is a hobby of mine.  My own boys sometimes run when I have the camera out trying to capture them in a snapshot.

 This picture represents my family walking in the Alzheimer's Memory walk for the last 5 years.  This August 24th will be our 6th year in participating and walking in memory of our family members who passed with the disease.

 My boys and I took a small road trip to the panhandle of Oklahoma.  We were on our way back from my sister's house and stopped by a few stops to check them off our list.  We are traveling to all the locations from a book I purchased about weird places in Oklahoma. So I told my sons we will be checking out these places and reading about them as we do. 

 Of Coarse at stop had to be Beaver, Oklahoma. (Our last name is Beavers).  But Beaver Dunes are known for UFO sitings.  Each time we visit a location from the book we take a picture with the book on that particular locations page.

 My youngest son just ran up this dune and back down. He wanted me to take a picture of him crawling in the sand like he was stranded in the desert LOL (picture isnt included)

 On the drive back we saw many things you don't see in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The above picture is a working windmill in the middle of NO WHERE.

 These produce wind power.  There are tons of them in the panhandle.

 Then we have these mountains that just pop up here and there.

 My sons and I got to see several planes visit the Tulsa area.  This plane of coarse has a beaver for their logo and was originally a company  from Tulsa.

 This is a World War II B-52.  This is the second working B-52 that came to Oklahoma.  I got to see both and get to see the insides as well.  It was really cool to see a piece of history.

 Another thing that Beaver, Oklahoma is know for is this large beaver.  They host a cow chip throwing contest every year.  This is the largest beaver.  (For those of you who don't know what a cow chip is....well it is dried cow poop that can be used for fertilizer)

 This was a school in the middle of the No Man Land.  It burnt down.I can't remember what caused it.

So many of the snapshots I take mark things we have done, where we have been, and to just capture it in a picture forever.